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The No. 2 seed UCSB Gauchos (25-7, 15-5 Big West) will square off against the No. 3 seed UC Riverside Highlanders (22-11, 14-6 Big West) in the Big West Tournament Friday at Dollar Loan Center, tipping off at 11:30 PM.
The Gauchos face the Highlanders in a game that UCSB is currently a moderate favorite by 3 points. The game’s point total is 132.5.
UCSB vs. UC Riverside Odds
Point Spread for UCSB vs. UC Riverside
The spread for this matchup is set at 3 points, with bookmakers listing UCSB as the favorite.
UCSB vs. UC Riverside Moneyline
As for the moneyline, UCSB has -156 odds to pick up the win, while UC Riverside is listed at +133 to claim victory.
Over/Under
Finally, the over/under for the game is set at 132.5 points.
Game Time and How to Watch
- Game Day: Friday, March 10, 2023
- Game Time: 11:30 PM ET
- TV Channel: ESPNU
- Location: Henderson, Nevada
- Arena: Dollar Loan Center
UCSB vs. UC Riverside Betting Trends
Against the spread, UCSB is 18-11-1 this season. The Gauchos have been favorites in 25 games this season and have come away with the win 19 times (76%) in those contests. UCSB’s games this year have hit the over on 17 of 32 set point totals.
UC Riverside has 18 wins against the spread in 32 games this year. The Highlanders have won 57.1% of the games this season they were the underdog on the moneyline (8-6). UC Riverside’s games this season have hit the over 56.2% of the time (18 out of 32 games with a set point total).
UCSB vs. UC Riverside Key Players to Watch
UCSB
Miles Norris is posting 14.2 points, 1.2 assists and 6.3 rebounds per contest. Andre Kelly is tops on his team in rebounds per game (6.5), and also averages 9.7 points and 0.9 assists. Defensively, he delivers 0.6 steals and 0.7 blocked shots. Josh Pierre-Louis averages 9.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest. Defensively, he averages 1.3 steals and 0.2 blocked shots.
UC Riverside
Flynn Cameron gets the Highlanders 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. He also delivers 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocked shots. Lachlan Olbrich is the Highlanders’ top rebounder (6 per game), and he puts up 11.4 points and 1.5 assists. Jamal Hartwell II is posting 8.3 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1 assists per game, making 42% of his shots from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc, with 1.5 treys per contest.
What you need to know about the UCSB Gauchos
So far this season, 13 out of UCSB’s 21 Big West games have gone over the point total. With 71.6 points per game on offense, the Gauchos are 184th in the nation. At the other end of the court, they give up 65.1 points per contest, which ranks 44th in college basketball. UCSB is averaging 29.4 rebounds per game this season (300th-ranked in college basketball), and it has allowed just 26.4 rebounds per game (sixth-best).
UCSB is draining 5.5 treys per game (21st-worst in college basketball), and it has a 34.4% three-point percentage (172nd-ranked). The Gauchos rank top-25 this season in three-pointers allowed, currently 24th-best in college basketball with 5.8 threes ceded per game. Meanwhile, they rank 221st with a 34.3% shooting percentage allowed from downtown.
The Gauchos are 5-4-1 against the spread and 7-3 overall in their past 10 games. Seven of UCSB’s last 10 games have hit the over. UCSB’s offense has been better over its last 10 games, putting up 74 points per contest compared to the 71.6 it has averaged this year. UCSB has been a little suspect on the defensive end of the floor of late, allowing 70.9 points per game over its last 10 outings compared to the 65.1 it has surrendered this year.
What you need to know about the UC Riverside Highlanders
UC Riverside has covered 12 times in 21 chances against the spread in conference action this season. In 2022-23, the Highlanders are 173rd in college basketball offensively (72 points scored per game) and 128th defensively (68.5 points conceded). On the boards, UC Riverside is 112th in the nation in rebounds (32.8 per game). It is 45th in rebounds conceded (28.5 per game).
At 8.3 made 3-pointers per game and shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc, UC Riverside is 75th and 88th in the country, respectively, in those categories. The Highlanders are the seventh-best squad in college basketball in 3-pointers conceded (5.2 per game) and 121st in 3-point percentage defensively (33%).
The Highlanders are 6-4 against the spread and 7-3 overall over their last 10 contests. In its past 10 contests, UC Riverside has hit the over four times. UC Riverside is averaging 71.2 points per contest over its past 10 games, which is 0.8 fewer points than its average for the season (72). The Highlanders are allowing 67.8 points per contest in their past 10 games, which is 0.7 fewer points than they are allowing for the season (68.5).
UCSB vs. UC Riverside Prediction & Pick
Our pick to win this contest is UCSB, and we expect that UC Riverside will cover the spread (UCSB -3). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 132.5 points.
How to bet UCSB vs. UC Riverside
You can bet on UCSB vs. UC Riverside at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.
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